Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Denmark using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas

Posted on by Robin Edgar

KOGE MARINA, Denmark (AP) — From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark. But these 10-meter (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance. Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as “Voyagers,” have been put into service by Denmark’s armed forces for a Read more about Denmark using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas[…]

Pregnant mothers exposed to Sandstorm Sandy and extreme heat end up birthing kids with deformed brains

Posted on by Robin Edgar

  Weather-related stressors on healthy brain development has become an important topic in recent years. Notably, prenatal stress exposure to natural disasters may disrupt child neurodevelopment, with recent research exploring its impact on child brain morphology. Prenatal exposure to extreme weather events, such as ambient heat, may also affect child brain morphology. The basal ganglia, Read more about Pregnant mothers exposed to Sandstorm Sandy and extreme heat end up birthing kids with deformed brains[…]

Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROMs

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Earlier this year, Google announced it would develop the Android OS fully in private to simplify its development process. By focusing its efforts on a single internal branch, Google aimed to streamline work that was previously split. The news initially spooked some in the Android development community, but the controversy quickly subsided. The impact was Read more about Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROMs[…]

Net Neutrality: What happened during the July 12 Internet-Wide Day of Action protest, why did the internet go down?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Updated July 14: The Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality on July 12 enjoyed a healthy turnout.Thousands of companies and some visible tech celebrities united against the FCC proposal called Restoring Internet Freedom, by which the new FCC chairman Ajit Pai hopes to loosen regulations for the ISPs and telecom companies that provide Read more about Net Neutrality: What happened during the July 12 Internet-Wide Day of Action protest, why did the internet go down?[…]

‘We’re done with Teams’: German state hits uninstall on Microsoft. So do Denmark and NL.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In less than three months’ time, almost no civil servant, police officer or judge in Schleswig-Holstein will be using any of Microsoft’s ubiquitous programs at work. Instead, the northern state will turn to open-source software to “take back control” over data storage and ensure “digital sovereignty”, its digitalisation minister, Dirk Schroedter, told AFP. “We’re done Read more about ‘We’re done with Teams’: German state hits uninstall on Microsoft. So do Denmark and NL.[…]

Tiny human hearts grown in pig embryos for the first time

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have reported growing hearts containing human cells in pig embryos for the first time. The embryos survived for 21 days, and in that time their tiny hearts started beating. The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Hong Kong. […] Pigs are a Read more about Tiny human hearts grown in pig embryos for the first time[…]

Nintendo will record your Gamechat audio and video

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last month, ahead of the launch of the Switch 2 and its GameChat communication features, Nintendo updated its privacy policy to note that the company “may also monitor and record your video and audio interactions with other users.” Now that the Switch 2 has officially launched, we have a clearer understanding of how the console Read more about Nintendo will record your Gamechat audio and video[…]

Apple thinks it can argue its’ way out of EU DMA with a single comma. No it can’t and this fight will cost it billions in Europe

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s just a comma in a 66-page document. But a comma that will cost Apple billions of euros in Europe. Starting June 23, the Cupertino-based company will no longer be able to collect commissions on external transactions made from an iPhone or iPad. In other words, all app developers will be able to redirect their Read more about Apple thinks it can argue its’ way out of EU DMA with a single comma. No it can’t and this fight will cost it billions in Europe[…]

How Russian Spies Are Analyzing Data From China’s WeChat App

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Russian counterintelligence agents are analyzing data from the popular Chinese messaging and social media app WeChat to monitor people who might be in contact with Chinese spies, according to a Russian intelligence document obtained by The New York Times. The disclosure highlights the rising level of concern about Chinese influence in Russia as the two Read more about How Russian Spies Are Analyzing Data From China’s WeChat App[…]

Bruteforcing the phone number of any Google user

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A few months ago, I disabled javascript on my browser while testing if there were any Google services left that still worked without JS in the modern web. Interestingly enough, the username recovery form still worked! ‎ This surprised me, as I used to think these account recovery forms required javascript since 2018 as they Read more about Bruteforcing the phone number of any Google user[…]

Meta, yandex caught spying on android users web activity using Covert Web-to-App Tracking via unprotected Localhost since 2017

Posted on by Robin Edgar

https://localmess.github.io/ We disclose a novel tracking method by Meta and Yandex potentially affecting billions of Android users. We found that native Android apps—including Facebook, Instagram, and several Yandex apps including Maps and Browser—silently listen on fixed local ports for tracking purposes. These native Android apps receive browsers’ metadata, cookies and commands from the Meta Pixel Read more about Meta, yandex caught spying on android users web activity using Covert Web-to-App Tracking via unprotected Localhost since 2017[…]

Scientists in Japan develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours | Reuters

Posted on by Robin Edgar

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/scientists-japan-develop-plastic-that-dissolves-seawater-within-hours-2025-06-04/ Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks Read more about Scientists in Japan develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours | Reuters[…]

Mysterious leaker GangExposed outs Conti kingpins in massive ransomware data dump

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A mystery whistleblower calling himself GangExposed has exposed key figures behind the Conti and Trickbot ransomware crews, publishing a trove of internal files and naming names. The leaks include thousands of chat logs, personal videos, and ransom negotiations tied to some of the most notorious cyber-extortion gangs —believed to have raked in billions from companies, Read more about Mysterious leaker GangExposed outs Conti kingpins in massive ransomware data dump[…]

EU to force Apple to open up IOS for developers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple has filed an appeal with the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg challenging the bloc’s order requiring greater iOS interoperability with rival companies’ products under the Digital Markets Act. The EU executive in March directed Apple to make its mobile operating system more compatible with competitors’ apps, headphones, and virtual reality headsets by granting Read more about EU to force Apple to open up IOS for developers[…]

The US Is Storing Migrant Children’s DNA in a Criminal Database

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The United States government has collected DNA samples from upwards of 133,000 migrant children and teenagers—including at least one 4-year-old—and uploaded their genetic data into a national criminal database used by local, state, and federal law enforcement, according to documents reviewed by WIRED. The records, quietly released by the US Customs and Border Protection earlier Read more about The US Is Storing Migrant Children’s DNA in a Criminal Database[…]

European Publishers Council stays true – to the tired old trope about “copyright theft”

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A few weeks ago Walled Culture explored how the leaders in the generative AI world are trying to influence the future legal norms for this field. In the face of a powerful new form of an old technology – AI itself has been around for over 50 years – those are certainly needed. Governments around Read more about European Publishers Council stays true – to the tired old trope about “copyright theft”[…]

Europe warns giant e-tailer SHEIN to stop cheating consumers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The European Commission has warned Chinese e-tailer SHEIN to clean up its act, after finding several practices on its website breach local consumer law. The Commission and Europe’s Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC), a network of national consumer authorities, on Monday warned the e-tailer that an investigation found the following breaches of EU law on SHEN’s Read more about Europe warns giant e-tailer SHEIN to stop cheating consumers[…]

Regeneron to Acquire all 23andMe genetic data for $256m

Posted on by Robin Edgar

23andMe Holding Co. (“23andMe” or the “Company”) (OTC: MEHCQ), a leading human genetics and biotechnology company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of 23andMe to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Regeneron”) (NASDAQ: REGN), a leading U.S.-based, NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious Read more about Regeneron to Acquire all 23andMe genetic data for $256m[…]

Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Fans reading through the romance novel Darkhollow Academy: Year 2 got a nasty surprise last week in chapter 3. In the middle of steamy scene between the book’s heroine and the dragon prince Ash there’s this: “I’ve rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree’s style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw Read more about Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels[…]

Boeing Strikes Deal with DOJ to Avoid Criminal Charges Over 737 Max Crashes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boeing and the Department of Justice have reached an “agreement in principle” that will keep the airplane manufacturer from facing criminal charges for allegedly misleading regulators about safety features on its 737 Max plane before two separate crashes that killed 346 people. The tentative deal, according to a court filing, will see Boeing pay out Read more about Boeing Strikes Deal with DOJ to Avoid Criminal Charges Over 737 Max Crashes[…]

New Orleans police secretly used facial recognition on over 200 live camera feeds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

New Orleans’ police force secretly used constant facial recognition to seek out suspects for two years. An investigation by The Washington Post discovered that the city’s police department was using facial recognition technology on a privately owned camera network to continually look for suspects. This application seems to violate a city ordinance passed in 2022 Read more about New Orleans police secretly used facial recognition on over 200 live camera feeds[…]

Drug-treated mosquite nets eliminate parasites (such as marlaria) in mosquitoes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have identified a type of chemical compound that, when applied to insecticide-treated bed nets, appears to kill the malaria-causing parasite in mosquitoes. Published in the journal Nature, the multi-site collaborative study represents a breakthrough for a disease that continues to claim more than half a million lives worldwide every year. […] ELQ drugs refer Read more about Drug-treated mosquite nets eliminate parasites (such as marlaria) in mosquitoes[…]

Someone Found Over 180 Million User Records for all kinds of platforms in an Unprotected Online Database

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you use the internet, you’ve probably had at least some personal information go missing. It’s just the nature of the web. But this latest discovery, as reported by Wired, is something different. Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler found a public online database housing over 180 million records (184,162,718 to be exact) which amounted to more Read more about Someone Found Over 180 Million User Records for all kinds of platforms in an Unprotected Online Database[…]

UK Legal Aid Agency attack involved ‘significant’ data theft

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A “significant amount of personal data” belonging to legal aid applicants dating back to 2010 in the UK was stolen by cybercriminals, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed today. The announcement follows the initial news from May 6 of an attack on the UK’s Legal Aid Agency (LAA), an MoJ-sponsored organization that allows legal aid Read more about UK Legal Aid Agency attack involved ‘significant’ data theft[…]